Thursday, January 26, 2012

Like any true New Orleanian, I believe that there is a song for everything and this week's episode of Mob Wives needs it's very own. Here's the song that was playing in my head the entire time I watched this episode. Feel free to play this in the background as you read.

This week's episode starts off with Ramona getting out of the clink. Ramona has done what she said she would never do (getting involved with a mobster), and whatever dirt he's involved in led to her getting arrested right along with him. The arrest has opened a lot of old wounds from her childhood and the feelings Ramona had when her grandfather was arrested have come to the surface again. Karen is right to encourage Ramona to move forward but none of this will end until she changes who she associates with. It's time to stop dating dudes that are a part of the 'lifestyle'.

As if I couldn't be more fascinated by Big Ang, they have to go and reveal that she owns a bar AND has a mouth like a truck driver! The bar Big Ang owned back in the day is where she came to know Drita. Apparently Drita would come in and, at some point, end up beating up everyone in it. The shiz would hit the fan all the time at Big Ang's bar but she never told any of them to cut the BS nor called the cops. Allowing that type of behavior may explain why Drita (a grown ass woman with 2 daughters looking at her to be an example) thinks this mess is funny/cute and why Big Ang has to bail her 22 year old son out of jail on a weekly basis. To add to the audacity of the whole situation, Big Ang gets a phone call that her son has been in a car accident. Big Ang says how disgusted she is and how all of his shenanigans need to stop but I'm not sold. I know if I had just totalled a car and was constantly in trouble with the law, my mom would be the furthest thing from calm about it.

Renee and Karen have decided to meet up for drinks and the conversation turns to Carla. Karen is happy that Renee and Carla have worked out their issues but she's still not feeling her. Karen feels that Carla sided with Drita and has a problem with her never asking Karen's side of the story. Karen feels like Carla is supporting Drita in the lies that she's allegedly telling people about Karen and Karen is ready to beat her down behind it. It's good that Renee is there to suggest they go to dinner and try to work things out.

Junior really must have convinced Renee that he's changed his evil, hoe-ish ways, because she is letting homeboy move back in the crib.

Renee's got her happy family back together under one roof, at least until Junior gets sentenced. Hopefully Renee won't have to put him out again.

We finally get to find out what the hell lead to Ramona and her Boo getting arrested. Surprise, surprise! It's drugs! The DEA ain't nothing to play with and homeboy must be deep in it because the arrest is all over the papers. This dude is into all kinds of shadiness and Ramona has him around her kids enough for their relationship to be considered 'close'. Really, dude?

We get to see the infamous Derek Tobacco (did we ever find out if that's this fool's government name?) when Drita and Carla meet him for drinks. Drita is still bothered by the fight between her and Karen and wants to know if Karen took a swing at her while she was being held back by Derek. When Drita asks Derek about it he pleads the 5th. Smart man! Considering he almost got his ass handed to him by Junior and the crew and ended up hiding out in the security van, it's best to stay as far away from this mess as possible.

It doesn't matter what Derek had said about the situation because Drita is convinced that Karen gave her the punch that resulted in the black eye while she was being held back. Since Drita is now labeling Karen as a punk, I'm guessing she wants a rematch.

Back at Renee's, we find out that A.J. is acting like a juvenile delinquent. He got pissed about something and took it upon himself to kick in Renee's bedroom door. Like any parent who has been doing it by themselves for any amount of time, Renee is tired of it and tells Junior it's time for him to straighten his son out. Junior thinks the underlying issue with A.J. is a girl who is sending him through changes. Renee is right when she says that he doesn't need to be with someone who pushes his buttons to the point where he is throwing lamps and kicking in doors. Personally, I think A.J.'s acting out has more to do with the ups and downs he's watching his dad put his mom through, not to mention the fact that his father is facing serious jail time & has had his name & likeness plastered all over the news. That's a lot to deal with as an adult. I couldn't imagine what it's like trying to process something that heavy as a 17 year old kid. Regardless, there is no excuse for this type of behavior. They need to nip this in the bud before A.J. ends up in a cell with his father on one side and his grandfather on the other.

We get to meet Big Ang'scident unharmed but I was really hoping we would get to see Big Ang have a come to Jesus meeting with her son. Based off what we have been told about this kid & the trouble he's been in, he's been coddled enough. Instead, the conversation quickly turns to Big Ang's new boo thang. The new mister has just done 28 years on a murder charge but, according to A.J., that doesn't make him a bad person. Besides, he's about to buy Big Ang a cute little puppy so how bad could be be?

Just in case you thought I was joking when I implied that A.J. is a spoiled, entitled brat, here's more proof: When Big Ang asks her precious son what he's going to do about a job he tells her nothing, for right now.

Had I EVER uttered some foolishness like that to either of my parents, this would have happened next:

If Big Ang doesn't want her son involved in the street life, she needs to stop babying him and make him take some responsibility for once in his life.

We find Carla attending a fashion show and she's doing the exact thing that Karen has been accusing her of: talking smack about her and Ramona behind their backs. I do agree with Carla when she says that Ramona has gotten involved in situations involving Karen that don't concern her but if Carla has such a problem with her, why is she running her mouth about it to some chick that is neither Karen nor Ramona?

Karen and Ramona head over to Renee's place for dinner and we get to see all of their rug rats. Renee's nerves are still on edge from the run in with A.J. and she fills the girls in on it. As I suspected, A.J. is having a hard time with his parents getting back together and I'm betting it has something to do with watching how it effects his mother when his father breaks her heart time and time again. A.J. might be onto something because Renee informs the ladies that some girl has been texting Junior. This, along with everything else that comes along with a man sharing her space (leaving the TV on when he's in another room, not cleaning up after himself, just being a stinky, nasty, typical boy) is starting to grate on Renee's nerves and she's having second thoughts. Ramona lets her know she needs to just chill out, see how things go, and if they don't work out, at least she tried. Any of us who have lived with a husband or boyfriend can relate but Renee was on a whole other level with it. Makes you wonder if she was overreacting or if it was something else.

Meanwhile, Carla updates Drita on her pow wow with Renee. Even though Renee wants everyone to get along, Carla isn't feeling Ramona at all. It's funny because Drita and Carla say that they are hearing all over Staten Island that Ramona is talking smack about them. This is the SAME thing Karen has been saying the two of them were doing to her. Seriously, when are these supposedly grown women going to stop talking to everyone else but who they have the problem with?

Finally, someone man's up and decides to confront the person she's got a problem with. Karen invites Carla out for drinks to discuss her issues with her. Karen has had a problem with Carla since the first fight with Drita on the rooftop, when she perceived Carla's reaction as siding with Drita. That, coupled with Carla's not going to see Renee after her surgery and everything people are telling her Carla is saying behind her back has Karen labeling her an enemy. It seems like people are telling the same lies to both sides, but switching up the names of who said what.

Karen's upset and it's understandable but the more she talks the more evident it becomes that her anger should be directed toward Drita and Drita alone. She goes on and on about Drita and, like Carla says, don't tell her. All of this needs to be said to Drita. I like Karen and all but she definitely overreacted in this instance. Things escalate to the point where she challenges Carla to fight her right there in the middle of the restaurant. Karen is dead ass wrong in this instance but she's got an axe to grind and she is not thinking straight at all. My advice to Carla would be

I have to give Carla credit for getting up and trying to walk away. Most people would have gotten right back in Karen's face and it would have been an all out brawl. Finally something clicks in Karen's head and she realizes she is projecting all her anger on Carla instead of hashing it out with Drita once and for all.

Next week's episode looks interesting. If the previews are any indication, Ramona's gonna end up on everyone's shit list but Karen's. Juicy!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

It's a brand new episode and it seems we are still dealing with the fallout from the fight heard 'round Staten Island. Big Ang is still sticking her nose where it doesn't belong or trying to be Staten Island's personal version of the UN, depending on how you want to look at it. This time she is meeting with Drita for lunch. Not only is she trying to help resolve the situation between Drita and Karen but now she's plotting a way to get Carla and Renee in the same room together. I agree with her statement that this is all a bunch of BS but sometimes you have to know when to leave well enough alone.

Ramona feels bad that Renee's party got ruined so she pays her a visit to apologize. Renee understands where Ramona's coming from with not letting someone mess over her family but you have to draw the line at some point. Like she says, they are ladies. They cross their legs when they sit so they shouldn't be throwing punches.

All of this talk gets Renee thinking about her issues with Carla and she realizes that all of the dumb stuff needs to be settled once and for all.

Carla and Drita get together for drinks and of course the conversation is all about the beef between Carla and Renee. Renee hasn't spoken with Carla in months due to her not believing that Carla's ex touched her inappropriately (this all went down last season). Carla's favorite game must be Pass the Buck because she has yet to take any kind of responsibility for the situation. She throws it all on Renee and says she's the one with the problem so she's the one that should step to her. Really, dude? Renee has been your friend for YEARS yet you take a guy's (who you dated for a hot minute) word over hers? Even if you don't believe her, the least you could do is acknowledge her feelings. I'm sure she would want the same courtesy extended to her if the shoe were on the other foot.

In spite of everyone beefing there is no way they are going to miss Big Ang's get together. Y'all know we all love us some Big Ang!

Renee decides the best way for her to express her feelings to Carla is by writing her a letter. Like a girl with true penitentiary tendencies, Renee sits down with a pack of Newports and a black and white composition notebook to get the job done. Renee is cool until her friend Nikole calls and puts things into perspective for her. She asks a damn good question: Why is Renee reaching out to Carla when it should be the other way around? After all, Renee wasn't the one who did anything to Carla nor is she the reason why there is an issue in the first place. The conversation with Nikole gets Renee fired up again so Carla may have to forget about receiving that letter.

Back at Big Ang's, she and Linda are eating sausages and talking about all the 'sausages' they've done in the past. The lovely Big Ang has dated plenty of wise guys and she makes a point of letting us know exactly what she got out of the relationship. Take note, Basketball Hoes: while y'all are busy dropping it like it's hot for handbags and shoes, Big Ang was smart enough to hustle her way into houses, cars, and a nice little nest egg. Big Ang doesn't look like she wants for anything and, unlike some folks we've seen on TV, she's not a 40 year old still sharing an apartment with a roommate. Step your game up, ladies!

Guess what else we find out? Big Ang has had about 18,442 cosmetic procedures and she thinks she needs more, starting with a face lift. Even after all her friend Renee went through with her last procedure, including flat lining? Really? And to top it all off, Linda suggests going to the Ukraine since the surgery would be cheaper.

Drita has finally decided to divorce Lee and she's going to sell the house. During the walk through with the realtor, Drita points out a room that no one is allowed to go into because Lee doesn't want anyone in there. She says she hasn't been in there in years. So, you mean to tell me ol' dude has been locked up for years yet he is dictating which rooms you can and cannot enter in your own house?

Drita has avoided telling her oldest daughter about the divorce up until now. As a way of easing her into it, Drita tells Aaliyah that she's thinking of selling the house. As expected, the poor kid is confused. No kid can imagine another family living in the one place that he/she has called home. It will be interesting to see how Drita handles telling her about the divorce.

Ramona and Karen are out trolling for men in the club and we get to find out a little bit more about Ramona. We learn that she married an Arab man because she didn't want to end up with a guy involved with the mob. When he decided to start having dealings with the mob, Ramona ended the marriage. She's dating again and loving it.

Big Ang's girls' night has finally arrived and all the ladies are present. Renee wastes no time & gets right to drilling Carla. The ladies hash it out and they come to an agreement. Finally, these two are back to being friends. THIS is how adults should handle things. Thankfully, it took them months to get to this point. Otherwise, we would have had nothing to watch.

Operation Divorce is in full effect and Drita is looking to cash in some of her assets. Lee must have been a major screw up because Drita has plenty of nice jewelry, including an engagement ring appraised at over $106K.

The jeweler let's Drita know that selling the ring to a private buyer will get her 10% more per carat. Here it is, Drita was thinking Lee left her with nothing. Now she'll be able to provide for her girls without stressing out so much.

Looks like Junior is trying to step his game up and show he's changed his ways. He's decided to take Nay Nay out to dinner just to spend some time with her. Even though they have known each other since they were teenagers, it's as though Renee and Junior are getting to know each other all over again. They both have different views on what caused their marriage not to work the first time around. Junior thinks it's because Renee wanted someone she could control and he's not that type of guy. Renee says it's because Junior was a man whore before, during, and after they were married. Junior does man up and admit that he made mistakes and apologizes to Renee for hurting her. Renee's been waiting on him to do this for 22 years and it brings tears to her eyes. I hope this guy keeps his word and doesn't break her heart again.

Renee is worried about Ramona, who has been MIA for an unusual amount of time. When she finally calls Renee, she lets her know that she and her boyfriend were arrested. I don't know about y'all but I want to know what this boyfriend is into. Dude must be into some heavy stuff.

Carla and Renee are trying to work on healing their friendship. In spite of Nikole's urges, Renee did finish that letter to Carla and she reads it to her in private. They are finally able to talk about how each of them felt and truly hash things out. Renee doesn't understand why Drita and Karen can't talk things out without throwing punches like they did. Carla points out that things escalated when Ramona got involved. Could it be that Ramona is helping keep the feud between Karen and Drita going?

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

The second episode of the new season of Mob Wives picks up where the last ended and it did not disappoint. It seems the lovely Big Ang has a Rodney King complex and wants everyone to get along. She manages to talk Drita and Karen into having a little pow wow on the balcony.

I love you Big Ang but sometimes you have to know when to stay out of grown folks' business. There is a time and place for everything and conversations like this should never happen at someone else's affair nor should it happen where the Jesus juice is flowing freely.

I do have to say Karen earned a lot of respect from me from the way she initially handled what started off as a conversation with Drita. Like many of you, I am so use to watching various reality shows with mostly female casts. While beef amongst cast mates is not uncommon, confronting the problem from jump is. We, the viewing public, are more often than not subjected to these women being petty and never really saying why they take issue with the other. This goes on for weeks and still doesn't get confronted head on, in spite of a two-part reunion at season's end. Karen avoided the song and dance and told Drita exactly why she has a problem with her.

The whole crux of Karen's problem with Drita is that she (as one of my aunts would said) 'talks out of both sides of her neck.' For those of you that aren't up on your hoodology, that means the bish says one thing and then will turn around and say the complete opposite five minutes later. When Karen confronted Drita about making the statement that they were never friends, Drita is quick to say 'I never said that.' Right after that comes out of her mouth, we see a clip from last season that backs up Karen's entire argument. Note to whomever is editing the Housewives shows, THIS is how you edit!!!! Thank you Mob Wives editing team for showing them how it's done!

Ramona sees what's going on and, like any good cousin, senses that some ish is about to pop off. I agree with everything she said to Big Ang about this not being the time or place to have that conversation. If Drita was serious about clearing the air she would have responded to Karen's previous attempts to contact her. Karen continues to go down the list of issues she has with Drita, including her allegedly telling people that she beat Karen so bad she had to be hospitalized and Drita continues to deny it. Funny how Drita never mentions to Karen that 'other people' told her she had gone to the hospital after their altercation but she can't shut her yap about it during her 'talking head' segment. I'm sorry Drita but I'm not buying what you are selling.

I guess Ramona got tired of hearing Drita be less than straight up with her cousin because she decides to go over and give her two cents. I get wanting to defend your family and having a low tolerance for liars but Ramona should have stayed out of it. That was between Drita and Karen and I'm pretty sure Karen is more than capable of handling herself with Drita. At this point Drita's got two people yelling and pointing in her face. I guess she felt cornered and that the rational thing to do was punch her way out. I guess Renee just found out you can't take all of your friends in public. Some have no home training and like to throw punches instead of using their words.

We got to see a little bit of this....

And a little bit of that ....

These ladies are lucky no one flipped over that balcony rail.

In all of the confusion, Ramona gets popped in the mouth and she's thinking Derek Tobacco (please tell me that's not his government name) did it. Of course, she's out to kick this dude's butt and so is Karen. Poor Renee doesn't know what the heck is going on and she's even more confused when Drita accuses her of setting her up.

Needless to say, Renee's party is ruined and she puts everybody out of the venue. Karen and Ramona have already let Junior know that Derek Tobacco was the one who punched Ramona in the mouth so Junior and the crew are ready to break his jaw. Meanwhile, Derek is hiding out in the van. So, your punk ass gets in the middle of a chick fight, pop one of them in the mouth, then wanna run & hide in the van......

The next morning, Staten Island is buzzing about what went on at the party. Of course, Big Ang is spilling all the tea. (Sidenote: Am I the only one who thinks the front of Big Ang's house looks like the PJ's?)

Carla swears up and down that she's glad she wasn't invited. We know that's a lie because, if it weren't, you wouldn't be on the phone trying to get the scoop on what happened. I like Ramona and, ultimately, it was Drita's decision to throw that first punch, but she needs to accept some responsibility. She shouldn't have gotten involved. Had she not, things might not have gone down the way they did. Most of the confusion has settled and we find out that Derek wasn't the one that hit Ramona. I still think he's a punk for hiding in that van. If you didn't do it, just man up and say you didn't.

We finally get to see post-fight DritaDrita may not be my favorite person but I have to agree with her on that point.

Karen and Ramona have moved on from the fight and decide to spend the day in Little Italy. I loved this because we finally get some insight into Ramona and her connection to the mob world. During their visit to a mafia themed museum we find out that Ramona is the granddaughter of 'Lefty Guns' Ruggiero, who was played by Al Pacino in the movie 'Donnie Brasco'. It will be interesting to learn more about Ramona and her family as the season goes on.

Renee is still going through it with Junior. He's facing at least 15 months on Federal charges and its a huge weight on Renee. She's still carrying a torch for the guy and Junior finally admits that he's still in love with her. They agree to give it another go even though Renee has concerns based on Junior's behavior in the past. I hope Junior decides to man up this time around and do right by Renee. I guess only time will tell.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

The new season of The Game picked up right where it left off. The fertility doctor let the cat out of the bag that Girl Melanie had an abortion once upon a time. Derwin is pissed as all piss-tivity and wondering who's baby Melanie decided to get rid of.

As luck would have it, Melanie goes outside to take a breather and who does she run into? None other than the other possible baby-daddy aka Dr. McHotty. Of course Derwin walks up on this encounter and they get into a verbal pissing match.

Jason has himself a new "smash buddy" and I think I am going to like her. Gloria is spunky. We immediately get to see her calling Jason out on his issues with women, especially African-American ones. Refreshing to see someone who he's involved with stand up to the ego that is Jason Pitts. Jason is not trying to be serious about this one. He's wanting to keep it on a strictly 'smash' basis. Gloria says she understands but I have a feeling someones feelings are involved and this might turn out bad for Jason. Is it just me or does home girl seem like she could catch Fatal Attraction-itis somewhere down the road?

The man with the greatest television name ever, Malik El Debarge Wright, is still playing Captain Save a Hooch. Jenna, the model he met while in rehab, has fallen off the wagon. He whisks her back to his mansion to keep her relapse from being exposed publicly and you know mama Tasha Mack is not happy AT ALL. The look on Tasha's face as Malik carried Jenna up the stairs said it all. I bet she was wanting to do this to Malik:

Back at the house, Derwin has finally had some time to cool down & apologizes to Melanie. Derwin mentions that he knows the baby was his and that he wishes he hadn't let her go through all of it alone. The whole time Melanie doesn't make a sound but you can tell from the look on her face that there is so much more to the story.

Tasha is coming to grips with the fact that she may have made a mistake when she dropped Derwin and took Malik back as a client. This is huge for Tasha because she has a lot of pride and it takes a lot for her to suck it up and admit when she's wrong. The question is will she be willing to let go of her pride long enough to admit it to someone other than herself and Tee Tee.

I swear Jason has an ego the size of the Pacific Ocean! Dude is off the charts. We've always known he's thought quite highly of himself but now he's taking it to another level. He's downright rude and we get to witness this when he meets bartender Chardonnay (Of all the names under the heavens, lawd, why???). Jason comes at her sideways, expecting her to jump through hoops for him and, as she should have, Chardonnay gives it right back to him. Unfortunately, instead of backing her up, the club manager kisses Jason's over inflated butt instead of tossing him out on his rear. I can't stand folks that condone bad behavior.

Melanie and Derwin are out shopping and they run into ANOTHER ex of hers. This time, it's Trey. Since the last time we saw Trey he has gotten married and had a kid. The wife is waaaaay to cheerleader bubbly. She's barely uttered a full sentence and I already want to punch her in the face. Being around Melanie's other ex means another pissing match from Derwin. Of course, Derwin invites Trey and his family over for DJ's birthday party. This gives him the opportunity to play the "my wife is better than your wife" game.

Meanwhile, back at the Wright mansion, Malik and Rick Ross are running around the house looking for the crackhead Jenna, who has disappeared like Casper the friendly ghost. Tasha answers the front door and we find out that Stifler's mom is Jenna's dealer and she has come to collect the money she owes her. She let's Tasha know she's packing heat but, obviously, she doesn't know who she's talking to. Tasha was looking at her like this:

Jason busts NuBrit-Brat swapping spit with a Swede (with a girl name) outside of the movies and he is obviously not OK with his little girl growing up so quickly (Neither am I. I miss the original Brittney). I'm beginning to wonder what's the bigger issue for Jason: his daughter dating or his daughter dating white guys. Brittany is quick to point out that Jason dates white women and she's just following his lead. I think Jason realizes just how much he has failed to teach Brittany when he reminds her that she is black and her rebuttal is "But I don't have to date them!" I wonder how Jason is going to handle this one.

Jenna is still on the loose and Malik, Tee Tee, and Tasha are running through the woods trying to find her. Tasha tries talking some sense into Malik but he is not trying to hear it. Malik feels like he wouldn't have made it through rehab without Jenna so he has to be there for her, regardless of how it may effect his career. Tee Tee, of all people, is the voice of reason in all this. He has a Come-To-Jesus meeting with Tasha and shoots it to her straight: stop giving Malik the right to choose and go back to Derwin. But will she listen?

We get the joy of seeing Melanie & Derwin have a pow-wow while he's sitting on the pooper. I know a lot of people who have been together for a long time do this in real life but...

The only good thing that came out of that scene was Girl Melanie admitting that the baby was Trey's and the abortion didn't happen while she was in college. Of course Derwin throws a tantrum and can't understand why Melanie didn't let him believe the baby was his. So, you complain about her keeping secrets then, when she doesn't, you are mad because she didn't lie? I'm confused. I don't know about y'all but Derwin's emotional immaturity works my last nerve. Why is it that every time he and Melanie hit a rough spot his first instinct is to run away?

When Derwin finally carries his narrow ass back to the house he and Melanie are finally able to have an adult conversation about her decision to abort Trey's baby. Melanie asks if he would be able to accept seeing her with someone else's baby everyday the way she has to watch him with DJ. The light finally comes on in Ding Dong's head and he realizes how hard that pill would be to swallow and cuts his wife some slack. That slack doesn't extend to Trey, whom he knocks out in the driveway.

Jason finds out his antics at the bar has gotten Chardonnay fired and he actually feels a little bad about it. To make it up to her, he offers to take her out to dinner. The tight wad's quest for cheap tacos lands them in Mexico and Jason wakes up to find they got married. I don't know about y'all but I laughed my butt off! The LAST thing Jason wanted was to be hitched and he ended up with one that won't cater to him the way Kelly did. I kinda gave BET the side-eye when I heard Brandy was being added to the cast but now I'm curious to see how this story plays out. In spite of only knowing him a few days, Chardonnay reads Jason like a book, hoe-checking him on his biases. She really hits the nail on the head when she slaps Jason in the face with the fact that he has a whole lot of self hate going on and that it has manifested itself through his treatment of women of color. Me thinks I'm gonna like Chardonnay. Maybe even enough to forgive her for having such a horrid name.

Malik and the gang finally find Crackeisha Jenna passed out in the garage and Stifler's mom saves the day. In spite of Tee Tee's urges, Tasha decides she's going to stick by her decision to represent Malik. Hopefully, she won't end up regretting it. Too bad she still hasn't forgiven Melanie and chooses not to show up for DJ's party.

Overall, a great season premier episode and I am looking forward to more. I'm eager to get your thoughts. What say you, tv-aholics?